Samantha Markle Is Ready to Come to London Whether Meghan Wants It or Not

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, holds open the door for Meghan, Duchess of Sussex as they depart the “100 Days of Peace” concert to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War at Central Hall Westminster on September 6, 2018 in London, England. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

The Year of Meghan started on Sept. 25, 2017, when she appeared in public with Prince Harry for the first time. Before she walked hand-in-hand with her then-boyfriend through Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, she was largely unknown; sure, she was a successful actress on the TV series Suits and had been IDed as Harrys girlfriend a few months earlier, but she could still walk down the streets of her adopted city in relative anonymity. Not after that afternoon, when it became impossible to avoid seeing images of Meghan and Harry enjoying a tennis match at the Invictus Games (for the record, New Zealand beat Australia 6-3). On that day, Meghan Markle became a superstar.

Video: Meghan Markle Kept a Wedding Day Secret From Prince Harry

The following 12 months were a whirlwind, even for a woman who grew up in the entertainment industry of southern California. Meghan moved houses, cities, countries and continents to live in a cottage on the grounds of a historic palace with her Prince Charming. They announced their engagement a mere two months after that first public appearance in Toronto, and they were married six months after that. She ended her acting career—appropriately, her character on Suits got married and relocated—to take up a high-profile position as a senior member of the royal family.

The attention was intense, especially with Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge and her future sister-in-law, largely out of public eye thanks to the arrival of her third child Louis in April. The world couldnt get enough of Meghan and Harry and their royal romance. The media responded with blanket coverage of all things Meghan, including instant biographical documentaries and wedding specials. Meghans every smile, hug, coat and messy hairdo were analyzed for royal worthiness. And they had a lot of material to work with: she went with Harry on more than two dozen engagements in the lead-up to their wedding, proving to be relaxed and confident while on engagements, especially when it came to interacting with kids.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex hopped on the court to play netball — a variation of basketball popular in the UK — with some of the participants, but that didnt stop Markle from wearing a designer outfit.

READ MORE: Meghan Markles ‘princess’ power is the perfect antidote to toxic masculinity

The duchess wore a $2,290 navy blue Oscar de la Renta blouse, which she paired with some black trousers by Altuzarra. If that wasnt glamorous enough, Markle completed the look with some sleek black heels.

Meghan Markle surprised Prince Harry with wedding veil details

It hasnt always been an easy transition. In the weeks before her marriage to Harry at Windsor Castle in May, her estranged relatives dumped a cascade of negative articles into the media. Her half-sister, Samantha Markle, called her narcissistic and selfish; a half-nephew unveiled a marijuana strain, Markle Sparkle; her own father, Thomas, was revealed to having been paid for set-up paparazzi photos of him in his hometown of Mexico. Then, after an outcry, he suddenly developed medical problems that meant he couldnt walk his daughter down the aisle of St. Georges Chapel. And even still, there are clouds that still threaten: specifically, that Samantha continues to publicly pursue her belief that Meghan is ignoring and neglecting their father. On Monday, Samantha’s publicist tweeted that she was coming to London to speak face-to-face with Meghan about their father’s health.

Markle and Prince Harry attended an awards ceremony for Coach Core, a Royal Foundation program that aims to improve education and employment opportunities through sports.

Serena Williams talks Meghan Markle friendship

Yet through it all, Meghan—now HRH the Duchess of Sussex—hewed to the royal stratagem of saying as little as possible and just carrying on. That policy paid off last week with more headlines, this time all positive: For the first time, the duchess undertook her own royal engagement when she appeared at the charity launch for Together, a charity cookbook created in a communal kitchen set up in the aftermath of the deadly Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 last June, many of whom were minority immigrants. Not only did Meghan write the foreword, praising the kitchen for being a place for women to laugh, grieve, cry and cook together,” but it turns out shes been going to the Hubb Community Kitchen since January. Melding cultural identities under a shared roof creates a space for a sense of normalcy.

Markle also opted for a new hairstyle, wearing her hair down with a sleek and straight middle part instead of the loose waves and casual buns she typically goes for.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hug at Coach Core Awards

During the launch, held in the gardens just outside Kensington Palace, it was Prince Harrys turn to be the supporting spouse, even walking two paces behind his wife while her mother, Doria Ragland, smiled encouragingly and mingled with the Grenfell cooks and their families who attended the event. If Meghan was nervous, she didnt show it.

It looks like you can take the girl out of the palace, but shes taking her designer duds with her.

Meghan Markle Just Proved This Controversial Fashion Rule Was Meant to Be Broken

Working on this project for the past nine months has been a tremendous labour of love, Meghan said in her first royal speech, given confidently without notes. I just recently moved to London and I felt so immediately embraced by this kitchen—your warmth and kindness, and also to be able to be in this city and to see in this one small room how multicultural it was.

Meghan Markle wore a $2290 Oscar de la Renta blouse with heels to throw around a basketball

Ticking off those royal firsts—leading an engagement, giving a speech, and, on Tuesday, undertaking her first solo engagement at the opening an exhibition of Oceanic art—show how far shes come in the space of just one year. You can even see it in her wardrobe: A year ago, she wore a white shirt and ripped jeans to that first public sighting. For the cookbook event, a blue coat by Toronto design firm Smythe covered her elegant black top and skirt.

Now, after a summer largely out of public view, shes set for a busy autumn. On Tuesday evening, she will appear in a new documentary on the Queens role on the world stage. On Oct. 16, she and Harry arrive in Sydney, Australia for the start of a two-week, 16,000-km royal tour. Timed so they can attend the fourth iteration of the Invictus Games for disabled military veterans, they will visit Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand—all Commonwealth nations, as per custom for the first big tour and befitting Harrys new position as the organizations youth ambassador.

Virtually the entire British royal press corp is accompanying the duke and duchess on their tour. It’s clear that while the Year of Meghan may have technically ended, interest in the newest royal is still going strong.

Meghan Markle showed off her ball skills on Monday as she joined Prince Harry at the Coach Core Awards, which were being held at Loughborough University.

People think Meghan Markle is pregnant and the reason is just beyond bizarre

Meghan, 37, could be seen getting into the swing of things, taking part in a netball shootout while Harry, 34, mingled with graduates from the young athletes program.

The pair were joined at the event, which focuses on the next generation of sportsmen and women, by British marathon runner Paula Radcliffe, tennis star Laura Robson, and netball player Eboni Beckford-Chambers.

Despite no doubt working up a little bit of a sweat, Meghan didn’t change out of her heels and looked as stunning as ever in a Peplum-style navy Oscar de la Renta top and Altuzarra black flared trousers.

Its Team Duke vs. Team Duchess as they join @WeAreCoachCoreUK apprentices for a netball shootout 🏀. pic.twitter.com/qFhzL2W3ac

Kensington Palace shared numerous clips from the day on Twitter, including one of Harry talking to the Coach Core apprentices about sport, and another of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex posing with the honorees.

Their Royal Highnesses meet this years 60 graduating @WeAreCoachCore apprentices. pic.twitter.com/hfvWi6SF9g

The Coach Core scheme trains hundreds of 16-24 year olds to be sport coaches, with 97% of graduates going into full-time education or employment. pic.twitter.com/kdynnpqM7y

These @WeAreCoachCoreUK apprentices are celebrating their graduation from the scheme today. pic.twitter.com/SKt6bWjrd9

From all over the UK, they are now qualified sport coaches across many different disciplines ⚽️🏉🏀🏸🏏🎾🏒🤸🏼‍♀️. pic.twitter.com/zFKh96lzVI

The Palace confirmed that the program, which was established by the Royal Foundation in 2012, “harnesses the power of sport and its ability to change lives and empower young people.”